KOA to start installing J1772 on campground pedestals for charging electric vehicles.

[Voyageurs]

Hi folks. Looks like KOA is going to start installing campsite pedestals with a J1772 connector for level 2 EV charging. The pedestals will be able to charge the EV and power the standard 50 amp RV receptacle at the same time.

Link to article below the pic.



https://insideevs.com/news/550314/ko...ging-stations/

 

[Voyageurs]

Just reread the article and noticed that the J1772 unit is a 10 KW unit. Good enough for a complete fill up on the larger batteries in the half tons coming out. Nice for the overnighters.

All exciting for an EV RV nerd like me. .

 

[Voyageurs]

Couldn’t find the original thread but feel free to merge.

Anyway, a little more info including a more info on the Jamestown products pedestals. Very cool. Hopefully they roll out fast. Welcome news for EVRVers.

KOA will add electric vehicle chargers to campgrounds

Interest in adding electric vehicle charging stations to campgrounds is accelerating faster than a Tesla Roadster. KOA (Kampgrounds of America Inc.) just ann

www.rvtravel.com

 

[MapNerd]

This is neat but I have to ask, does anyone know of any EV that can be flat towed? The F150 lightning will have the torque to be able to pull a decent sized travel trailer, but how far is anyone’s guess right now.

So KOA thinks all these EVs are going to be driven to the CG separate from the camper? I don’t know if I would take that bet. Sure, I have seen a Tesla parked on a site at a campground, but it’s certainly not a regular occurrence.

I do expect we’ll see more EVs though. Hopefully this charger will be able to serve the needs for a long time. Ford, working with a university, recently came out with a charger that can take an EV from zero to full in 10 minutes if I recall correctly. Quite impressive.

I just hope that whatever KOA installs is not a standard that is soon to be obsolete. AFAIK, the industry still hasn’t agreed on any particular charging plug standards.

 

[Voyageurs]

This is neat but I have to ask, does anyone know of any EV that can be flat towed? The F150 lightning will have the torque to be able to pull a decent sized travel trailer, but how far is anyone’s guess right now.

So KOA thinks all these EVs are going to be driven to the CG separate from the camper? I don’t know if I would take that bet. Sure, I have seen a Tesla parked on a site at a campground, but it’s certainly not a regular occurrence.

I do expect we’ll see more EVs though. Hopefully this charger will be able to serve the needs for a long time. Ford, working with a university, recently came out with a charger that can take an EV from zero to full in 10 minutes if I recall correctly. Quite impressive.

I just hope that whatever KOA installs is not a standard that is soon to be obsolete. AFAIK, the industry still hasn’t agreed on any particular charging plug standards.

Yah. More for future proofing I guess. But these pedestals are using a J1772 connector which is standard pretty much all over North America and Europe. These are level 2 charge stations so typically overnight charging. They are not DC fast chargers. These will work on any EV sold in North America.

We are seeing campgrounds here install J1772 charge stations in common areas here but these are right on the camp site and part of the pedestal. Nice. Saves dragging out the charge cable from the trunk and then using the 50 amp or 30 amp receptacle meant for the RV.

 

[Voyageurs]

I don’t think campgrounds are expecting EV’s as toads but rather as the tow vehicle.

We are already seeing EV’s towing smaller trailers like Teardrops etc. We’ll be doing that in the spring. Good to see this kinda thing coming down the road.

 

[Jim]

I wish I had read this article a year ago. Had I known, I would have installed the infrastructure to support charging at the campsites at Deer Springs.

But as I think about how this changes the game, other questions arise. How this is going to affect nightly rates? I mean, someone has to pay to charge that car, and I don't think it's going to be the campground owners. And the pedestal is going to have to monitor the power dispersed and then the campground owners will basically become resellers of the power. But there are laws/rules that prohibit the resale of said power. More licensing for the states to issue and monitor? And I guess we'll need state inspectors to drop by and monitor the calibration of the charging units? All those inspectors and offices have to be funded, they all need retirement plans, cars to drive (assumedly electric right?), the cars need to be insured, inspected and maintained.

So this is not going to be an inexpensive perk.

 

[Voyageurs]

I wish I had read this article a year ago. Had I known, I would have installed the infrastructure to support charging at the campsites at Deer Springs.

But as I think about how this changes the game, other questions arise. How this is going to affect nightly rates? I mean, someone has to pay to charge that car, and I don't think it's going to be the campground owners. And the pedestal is going to have to monitor the power dispersed and then the campground owners will basically become resellers of the power. But there are laws/rules that prohibit the resale of said power. More licensing for the states to issue and monitor? And I guess we'll need state inspectors to drop by and monitor the calibration of the charging units? All those inspectors and offices have to be funded, they all need retirement plans, cars to drive (assumedly electric right?), the cars need to be insured, inspected and maintained.

So this is not going to be an inexpensive perk.

Most vendors of L2 and L3 charging just charge by time. It’s all automatic. Swipe your card and plug in. No calibrating. When you disconnect the charges show up on your card based on how long you were connected. For many, if you stay connected after the car is full it starts to charge you double. That incentivizes people from using charging spots as parking spots. Obviously they wouldn’t do that if the charge station is on the RV lot you are renting. There are literally hundreds of thousands if not millions of L2 and L3 electric vehicle chargers in the world set up like this.

 

[Voyageurs]

Here’s a shot of a screen on a DC fast charger a block from my house. They won’t have DC fast chargers in campgrounds but L2 stations are setup the same. They are usually priced by the hour at L2 stations.

Some countries and some states have per kWh sales. I seem to remember charging California and seeing a per kWh rate. But in my experience most are time based.

 

[Jim]

Most vendors of L2 and L3 charging just charge by time. It’s all automatic. Swipe your card and plug in. No calibrating. When you disconnect the charges show up on your card based on how long you were connected. For many, if you stay connected after the car is full it starts to charge you double. That incentivizes people from using charging spots as parking spots. Obviously they wouldn’t do that if the charge station is on the RV lot you are renting. There are literally hundreds of thousands if not millions of L2 and L3 electric vehicle chargers in the world set up like this.

I'll have to check and see if I have enough current to "Y" off to a charging station for each site, or at least a couple of the largest sites. But then, I'm faced with other difficulties, like limited Internet and -0- cell service. Which I'm sure is necessary to make charging for the charge possible.